Express & Star comment: We must remember those lost to coronavirus

Those whose hawkish tendencies to put profit above people can reflect on the human cost of Covid-19. Those who believe we ought to return to the ‘old normal’ can read heart-wrenching stories and imagine how it must feel to be in the shoes of local families whose loved ones have died.

Make no mistake, NHS staff and care workers are the true heroes of the global pandemic.

And while all would agree that the cost of a cure must not be higher than the cost of the disease, it is clear how alarming the effects have been.

Without exaggeration, those who have died were troops willing to take a bullet, but hoping they would not. And, of course, when the infection spread, there was nothing they could do to stop it. And a number had insufficient PPE to provide protection.

Let’s also consider this. The names and faces who have been collected together form just a part of the bigger picture. There are others whose pictures are unavailable or whose deaths have not yet been recorded among the statistics. There are mothers and sisters, brothers and fathers, people who once lived in our communities who might have been seen at a local shop or on the bus to work.

They knew the risks but valiantly accepted them in order to protect others. They hoped they’d be safe but were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. Like those who fought and died for our nation, they are forever in our thoughts and we must never forget them.

Each year, on Armistice Day, we observe a minute’s silence at 11am on November 11. That is the time for quiet remembrance, for making sure we never forget.

Perhaps we ought to add a similar day to our annual calendar in memory of NHS workers as well as other loved-ones we have lost to this pandemic.

As lockdown continues and as the majority readily accept there will be no return to life as we knew it before 2021, we have more time to recognise those who make a key contribution to our communities. Staff in the NHS and the care sector have been too frequently over-looked. They have been used as a pawn in political debates, be that during the Brexit referendum or during General Elections. Finally, their true value has been illustrated and if we should hope that one good thing comes from Covid-19 it is that our NHS is properly funded, properly respected and given a higher priority in our national life.

A public inquiry will no doubt look into the many decisions taken during our response to the biggest peacetime threat of our lives. It will assess whether more could have been done to protect NHS staff, it will query whether lives were needlessly lost. We must also hope that the underpaid, undervalued workers in our care homes finally receive the recognition they deserve.

Britain has an ageing population and the social care crisis has been highlighted in recent weeks.

Irrespective of Covid-19, that is only going to get worse. More money must be pumped into helping people at a later stage of their live.

Fundamental change will be required in nations around the world. Britain is no exception. We must honour those who have passed away.